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Vaughan Tanner
Sapphire
What is an astigmatism?
Transcript
Astigmatism is where the cornea, the front window of the eye, is an abnormal shape. Ideally it would be a football, a perfect sphere, but in astigmatism one of the angles of the cornea is steeper than the other. It looks more like a rugby ball as a reasonable analogy. The problem with astigmatism is that it affects the focusing of the eye and this is particularly important when it comes to correcting spectacle requirement following either cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange. We're fortunate that we now have special toric lens implants available which correct astigmatism as part and parcel of either procedure.